Majesty of America [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

John Philip Sousa (Composer), David T. Shaw (Composer), George M. Cohan (Composer), Anonymous (Composer), Dan Kelly (Composer), American Traditional (Composer), George William Warren (Composer), Edmund L. Gruber (Composer), L.Z. Phillips (Composer), Robert M. Crawford (Composer), Woody Guthrie (Composer), Arthur Sullivan (Composer), Charles A. Zimmerman (Composer), Sir John Dykes Bower (Composer), G. S. Scofield (Composer), John Stafford Smith (Composer), Harry T. (Henry) Burleigh (Composer), George Frederick Root (Composer), Stephen Foster (Composer), Al / Raye, Don Jacobs (Orchestra), Irving Berlin (Artist), Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Artist)

Product Details

• Orchestra: Al / Raye, Don Jacobs
• Composer: John Philip Sousa, David T. Shaw, George M. Cohan, Anonymous, Dan Kelly, et al.
• Audio CD (August 20, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• Copy Protected
• ASIN: B00006FIBE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #54,445 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
This two-CD set is a newly remastered compilation of 28 songs taken from the renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir's recordings of the 1960s and '70s. The Choir, directed by Richard P. Conde, is supported by alternating organists, the Columbia Symphonic Band, the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The conductors include Arthur Harris, Jerold D. Ottley, and the great Eugene Ormandy. The singing is superb. The 300-voice choir's justly famous sound, which combines depth, weight, and clarity, and its impeccable intonation, balance, and flexibility are everywhere in evidence, while the splendid instrumental forces set mood and atmosphere and add the luster of triumphantly ringing trumpets to the many rousing marches. The mostly familiar popular songs celebrate prideful uplift and patriotic fervor; partly "traditional," partly "composed," they deserve their status as universal favorites. Unfortunately, they are consistently compromised by the quality of the arrangements, which owe more to the Hollywood soundtrack than to the indigenous American musical tradition. They are full of infelicitous modulations, abrupt key changes, and incongruous introductions, and several vocal settings seem at variance with the meaning of the song. Woody Guthrie's beloved "This Land Is Your Land" is almost unrecognizable; "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" is sung too "straight" and lacks the idiomatic style and inflection of a spiritual. Most convincing are Sousa's marches and devout hymns like "Rock of Ages," which are allowed to retain their simplicity and speak for themselves. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but I prefer a more classic style, June 13, 2005

By	Micheline Anne Montreuil "Micheline Anne Mont... (Quebec city in Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This 2-CD set is a compilation of 28 songs of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's. The voice are superb but there are too often some "stirring" introductions and some vocal performances inside the songs that transform these patriotic songs in a kind of Hollywood show. I prefer a more classic style for patriotic songs because it is easier to listen or to sing along when you know what will happen in the next 5 seconds. Simplicity is the key word for a good result but in this case the key word is "complexity with vocal performances".